The defeat of stillbirth is going to take the combined efforts of all bereaved parents. Just as the Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) was founded by a bereaved mother who empowered other parents to bring about changes in the drunk driving laws, we too must do the same.

Until parents demanded change, drunken driving remained a national joke. And until stillbirth mothers and fathers demand change, our babies will continue to be regarded as "fetuses", a form of medical waste. Can we honestly expect legislators or even the public to get worked up over the loss of a fetus? The medical community would like to keep it that way.

Introduction of stillbirth legislation is easy. It's gaining passage that is difficult. Lobbyists, handsomely paid to protect their client's interest, lurk in the hallways, ready to tell any legislator who will listen, why our legislation is the worst thing to happen since Mike Tyson bit off Leon Spink's ear in Las Vegas. They'll complain about cost, they'll complain about complexity, they'll complain about everything but the truth. The medical community doesn't want anyone to know that stillborn infants are babies, not fetuses.

If you think they're against Certificates of Birth Resulting in Still Birth, imagine how the doctors and hospitals will rear up when we gear up to demand universal access to post-mortem stillbirth evaluations at no cost to the families. But the knowledge that will come from such a program is the only way we are ever going to be able to identify the causes of so many unexplained stillbirths. The feds didn't hesitate to allocate announced $106,800,000 for polio eradication in FY 2000. Now they can allocate it to stillbirth instead since the World Health Organization has announced polio will see its last case in 2003. Gone from the face of the earth! Should not stillbirth be the next priority?

In New York State horses that die under the care of a veterinarian must receive an autopsy administered by an independent examiner. Imagine that if you will; New Yorkers apparently care more about finding out why racehorses died than why babies are stillborn! That's obscene.

National Stillbirth Society is building a grass roots lobbying team state by state, designating a member in each state to serve as the Coordinator for that state. The ideal candidate possesses organizational and communication skills and is comfortable dealing with people. It would be helpful if the person who offers to help were familiar with the legislative process but that skill can be taught. Finally, the Coordinator must be willing and able to attend key hearings at their state legislature as Bills we introduce make their way through the legislative process. And be able to speak to the media about stillbirth issues, from the Society perspective.

We've listed all 50 states on the Legislative web page with hyperlinks to those that already have coordinators assigned. We encourage readers to contact the coordinator listed for their state. Or, if there is no coordinator listed, consider volunteering for the position. The pay is non-existent but the satisfaction of changing America's attitude toward stillbirth is priceless.

Remember, if you're qualified, and your state doesn't already have someone designated - which is most of them at the time this is written - drop us an e-mail and let us know of your interest in filling the slot. But first, go to the Legislative Update page to see if there's an opening.